Old School Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

This is my adaption on a wonderful recipe from Louisiana Cookin' magazine. I highly recommend the magazine. They always have great food ideas, and this is definitely one of them!


This recipe takes a while to make. You could shortcut it and use a store-bought roasted chicken, but you'll like the results much better if you roast it yourself and use the pan drippings in the jambalaya.

Makes: 6-8 servings
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 3 1/2 hours
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

For the roasted chicken:

• 1 3-4 lb whole chicken
• 2 t seasoning salt
• 2 t paprika
• 1 t garlic powder
• 2 t dried thyme
• 1 t dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 t black pepper
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

For the jambalaya:

• 2 medium white onions (one cut into quarters and one diced)
• 2 carrots
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 1 lb smoked sausage, diced
• 2 T butter
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 jalapeños, diced
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
  
• 3 stalks celery, diced, plus 2 more whole stalks
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T Creole spice mix or Essence
• 2 t salt
• 5 bay leaves
• 2 t dried oregano
• 2 T tomato paste
• 2 1/2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Rinse chicken and pat dry.

3. Oil outside of chicken. Sprinkle with seasoning salt inside and out.

4. Place chicken on rack in shallow roasting pan. Add 1/2" of water. Sprinkle with remaining spices and herbs. Tie legs together and tuck wings underneath.

5. Roast uncovered for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until done. Baste every 30 minutes with the melted butter.

6. Let chicken rest for 20-30 minutes.

7. Pick all meat from chicken, discarding the skin. Shred and refrigerate. Reserve the drippings.

8. Place the carcass in a large pot. Add the quartered onion, carrot, whole celery stalks and any vegetable trimmings you may have on hand. Add 10 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue simmering uncovered for 1 hour. Strain resulting broth and discard chicken and vegetable parts.

9. Heat oil in a skillet (a cast-iron skillet works best) over medium-high heat. Add sausage and sear. Add 1/4 cup of the broth and cook until evaporated. Remove to a plate.

10. Add butter to skillet and melt. Add the diced onion and cook 10 minutes or until dark brown. Add 1/2 cup of broth and cook until almost gone.

11. Add peppers, jalapeños, green onions, celery, garlic, spice mix, salt, bay leaves, oregano, and tomato paste. Cook for 10 minutes, adding 1/4 cup broth if needed.

12. Add shredded chicken, 1 cup of broth, and the pan drippings from cooking the chicken. Reduce by half.

13. Transfer mixture to a large pot. Add the sausage, rice and 4 cups of broth. Cook, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until rice is almost done. Remove from heat, cover, and let set for 10 minutes until rice is done.